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27/03/2016

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2

A few notes on the Hunger Games finale. Missed this at the cinema
so pleased to catch up finally having enjoyed the first three films. My overall
impression though was that the finale would have been better as one film rather
than being dragged out to two. The result of doing that means the second half
of the story feels like another franchise altogether. Admittedly Hunger Games was never a laugh fest but
the contrast between the gluttonous selfish Capital and the grey careworn
districts made for compelling opposites. Yet the colour drains from Mockingjay the longer it goes on and
this becomes wearing after a while. Part one lingered too long in limbo,
seemingly underscoring the same points again and again. I’ve not read the books
so perhaps this plays out better on the page than it does on screen. So Part 2
surprisingly continues in the same vein; the heroic poster advertising the
movie is as much a misdirection as all of the news feeds from the Capital we
see in the film. Maybe that’s the point.

It is a
more compelling film than part 1 though. Because we are at the story’s end
there is a desperate weariness to our protagonists’ journey from the war torn
districts into the Capital. It’s weird that the hitherto invincible regime of
President Snow appears to crumble so easily allowing Katniss and co into the
centre with little effort. It’s when they get there though that the troubles
start. There’s a darker attempt to echo those Hunger Games which, while never
kind, at least seemed to give competitors a chance. Here, in one of the film’s
standout sequences horrible black oil pours into a space between sealed
buildings and a character is hoisted and gutted in mid air by some nasty metal
traps. Elsewhere we meet `mutts`, who are supercharged Gollums with big teeth.
There’s a mesmerising action scene in which our heroes are decimated by these
monsters. Its about as far from superhero slugouts as you’re liable to get in a
major film.

The story’s
central point has always seemed to be the manipulation of the masses by media
whether for competitive thrills or political advantage and these themes carry
through effectively in this film. The added layer is Katniss’ growing
realisation that she cannot win by bold speeches alone and needs to indulge in
a little subterfuge of her own. After all she- and we-realise that Katniss is
used like a weapon and could easily be abandoned once her usefulness is over. Bleached
out and listless Katniss is really not inspirational character propaganda has turned
her into but it is her relationship with the post brainwashed Peeta that gives
the story an emotional core. If you’ve watched the first two films you’ll find
this –and several other incidents- heartbreaking. The fact that Jennifer
Lawrence delivers a performance as if she is in a serious art picture helps
give these things a real truth. Josh Hutcherson too, often the overlooked actor
in Lawrence’s shadow does a great job pouring out Peeta’s bitter confusion. I have to mention Donald Sutherland as well,
purringly brutal in his big beard right to the (surprising) end.

The film
does have a happy ending but it is earned, surely, by the characters that make
it to that end, not necessarily the ones you expect. If I’ve seemed a little
harsh it’s because The Hunger Games
is that rare best- an intelligent `big` movie with something to say but three
rather than four films would have been ample time to tell it’s intriguing study
of oppression, rebellion and courage.